The Merv Griffin Show was a long-running daytime talk show, starring singer Merv Griffin. The series ran from 1 October 1962 to 5 September 1986 on NBC and on CBS, later in syndication afterwards. A typical show would begin with a short introduction by Griffin, during which he would sometimes sing a song. Various celebrity guests would follow, talking with Griffin. Merv hosted around 4,500 shows (with only around 1,800 episodes surviving), interviewed more than 25,000 extraordinary guests, and won 15 Emmys during 23 years of high ratings.

These types of talk/variety TV shows went on location in various cities. ABBA happened to be guests on one such show in Las Vegas.

Season 13 Episode 56

ABBA performed SOS and I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and were introduced by presenter Merv Griffin (picture from a show dated 20 May 1976) and Neil Sedaka (who had, of course, co-written English lyrics for Ring Ring a few years earlier). Merv announced them as, "an international super group from Sweden".

Other guests this episode:

1. Totie Fields (comedienne)
2. Bert Convy (game show host)
3. David Brenner (comedian)
4. Abbe Lane (singer)
5. The Great Andre - (dog act)
    
6. Mort Lindsey conducted the orchestra.

Mystery
Both The Merv Griffin Show and NBC’s Saturday Night were LIVE broadcasts. However, The Merv Griffin Show was filmed in Las Vegas on the USA west coat while NBC’s Saturday Night was filmed on the east coast in New York. It's obviously not possible to be in two places at the same time so it must be that ABBA's appearance for The Merv Griffin Show must have been recorded earlier (ie. 4-14 November) and inserted into the live broadcast (ie. on 15 November), while ABBA appeared LIVE in New York for NBC’s Saturday Night.

Click here for an entry from TV.com

King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment or simply King World) was a syndicator of television programming in the United States until its eventual 2007 incorporation into CBS Television Distribution. On 26 September 26 2006, CBS announced that KingWorld and CBS Paramount Television's syndication operations would be combined to form the CBS Television Distribution Group (CTD).

Currently (Oct 2012) this episode listed in the TV archive.

NB. Merv Griffin died, aged 82, on 12 August 2007


 

Information from ABBA - The Book by Jean-Marie Potiez (p.119). Thanks also to ABBAMAILers Dora O'Rorke, Randy Minten, Ed Viveiros, Janet Strayer, Fiona Metcalfe and Richard Knight for helping to identify the guy in the picture as Merv Griffin!
The black and white picture is from Maggott's Picture Gallery (no longer online). Thanks to Peter Willetts, Pepe Milton and Rianne Schaffers for extra information. And special thanks to Jozsef and abbasite4ever Forum (no longer online).
Huge thanks to the person who send me the image of ABBA from the show - I'm sorry I can't remember your name.